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Hey there, everyone. I'm Josh Beeman, founder and Managing Editor of Indomitable City Soccer. I hope you're enjoying our new home here at SB Nation.
As part of this launch week, all of us at ICS are going to be introducing ourselves, giving a little background on how we wound up as soccer-mad as we are and what you can expect to see from each of us going forward. Today it's my turn.
Like many soccer fans, I grew up playing the game, but it was never something I really pursued outside of practice or games. The start of my obsession with the beautiful game has its roots in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. More specifically, it has its roots in the now-famous Landon Donovan goal vs Algeria. While I had always enjoyed watching soccer, that game and that moment was the first time in my life that I felt totally and completely drawn in by a sport.
If the 2010 World Cup planted the seed, college made it grow. That's when I began to more closely follow MLS, drawing my attention away from the allure of European soccer to something close to home. My attention turned even closer to home when USL (then USL PRO) announced in late 2012 that they had had awarded Sacramento an expansion team.
In 2014, right before the beginning of the team's first season, I began blogging about the Republic on Reckless Challenge, the premier USL blog at that time, and took to it like a fish to water. I took on a leadership role there for a while, but left in August of 2015 to found Indomitable City Soccer.
You can expect to see a little bit of everything from me on ICS. I enjoy writing about every facet of the Republic, from game previews, features, or just posting the latest news. Chances are that if you have read something about the Republic since 2014 that wasn't from a newspaper, you were reading something I wrote.
You'll also be hearing from me through my podcast, Beeman's Republic, the only show dedicated entirely to Sacramento Republic FC and USL's Western Conference.
To get in touch with me, follow on twitter @josh_beeman or email me at mailbag.ics@gmail.com. Contact me on either if you have a story idea or if there's ever anything Republic or USL related that you'd like to know more about.